As a young girl in India, beautiful, high-spirited Susanna Pleydell had first became aware of her special gifts to soothe the sick. But she had sacrificed that calling when she married the dashing and sophisticated Aubrey St. Clare. When they return home to London, however, Aubrey has changed....  more

As a young girl in India, beautiful, high-spirited Susanna Pleydell had first became aware of her special gifts to soothe the sick. But she had sacrificed that calling when she married the dashing and sophisticated Aubrey St. Clare. When they return home to London, however, Aubrey has changed. Susanna discovers she has married a man with a weakness for opium and the occult. And even more menacing, Aubrey has met the sinister Dr. Damien Adar, whose hold over him is fierce and frightening....

Rosetta knew little of life beyond the schoolroom...until she found herself shipwrecked off the African coast. Saved from the raging seas by the ship's handsome, mysterious deckhand, she soon discovered her hero was fellow-Londoner Simon Perrivale, an infamous fugitive accused of...  more

Rosetta knew little of life beyond the schoolroom...until she found herself shipwrecked off the African coast. Saved from the raging seas by the ship's handsome, mysterious deckhand, she soon discovered her hero was fellow-Londoner Simon Perrivale, an infamous fugitive accused of murder. Her hopes of rescue were dashed when they were abducted by pirates...and the lovely fair-haired Rosetta was sold to a Turkish Pasha. Locked away in his harem, she would risk her life to save her virtue -- and to unravel the mystery that had wrongfully imprisoned Simon. But though she plotted her escape from the exotic Middle East to the elegant mansions of London, Rosetta was still bound by a consuming passion that would forever make her love's captive...

"Whoever disturbs the sleep of the kings will die."   For centuries, the tombs of the Pharaohs had been haunted with this curse.  When two eminent  archaeologists died mysteriously, Judith Osmond was certain that they had died because of the curse.  But this had...  more

"Whoever disturbs the sleep of the kings will die."   For centuries, the tombs of the Pharaohs had been haunted with this curse.  When two eminent  archaeologists died mysteriously, Judith Osmond was certain that they had died because of the curse.  But this had nothing to do with her.  Or so she thought. Then, overnight, everything in her life changed.  There was the unexpected inheritance.  And the man of her dreams, Tybalt, a young archaeologist asked her to marry him.  But Tybalt planned to explore the tombs of the Pharaohs -- during their honeymoon.  And so the curse of the kings now came to haunt Judith.   Blending the atmosphere of Victorian-Age England with the mystery of Age-of-the-Pharaohs Egypt, The Curse of the Kings is Victoria Holt's most exotic novel of romantic suspense.  

When Kate Collison, to help her ailing father, completes his portrait of the powerful Baron de Centeville, her only thought is to be a dutiful daughter. But when the Baron presents her to Parisian society as the painter, Kate finds herself basking in the recognition . . . until she discovers...  more

When Kate Collison, to help her ailing father, completes his portrait of the powerful Baron de Centeville, her only thought is to be a dutiful daughter. But when the Baron presents her to Parisian society as the painter, Kate finds herself basking in the recognition . . . until she discovers that the Baron has plans for her -- shocking plans that will change her life unless she can fight the Baron with his own weapons . . .

Favel Farington knew very little about her new husband. When they met in Capri, the dashing young heir to Pendorric had swept the lovely English girl into marriage with the sudden fierceness of a summer storm. It was all wonderfully exciting, until Favel discovered that someone was planning...  more

Favel Farington knew very little about her new husband. When they met in Capri, the dashing young heir to Pendorric had swept the lovely English girl into marriage with the sudden fierceness of a summer storm. It was all wonderfully exciting, until Favel discovered that someone was planning a very special place for her in the family -- in the crypt with the other legendary "brides of Pendorric" who had all died so mysteriously, so tragically, and so young. Suddenly the words "till death do us part" took on a new and ominous meaning.... Jean Plaidy, Victoria Holt and Philippa Carr were the major pen-names of Eleanor Alice Burford Hibbert.

According to the legend, six novices living in a Cornish convent strayed from their vows and were turned to stone. The seventh faced quite a different fate. Years later when the convent became the family mansion of the St. Larnston family, fate beckoned to another young virgin. Kerensa Carlee...  more

According to the legend, six novices living in a Cornish convent strayed from their vows and were turned to stone. The seventh faced quite a different fate. Years later when the convent became the family mansion of the St. Larnston family, fate beckoned to another young virgin. Kerensa Carlee was only a cottage girl, but she possessed great ambition and greater beauty -- and she knew how to use them both. Working in the legend-haunted mansion as a lady's maid, Kerensa began her perilous journey into womanhood. She stirred old memories and mysteries, and brought to that quiet corner of Victorian Cornwall moonlight madness and an ancient vengeance....

Noelle Tremaston's charmed yet unconventional life as the daughter of the infamous Desiree, darling of the London stage, comes crashing to a halt when her mother takes in a struggling ingenue and disaster strikes. Noelle flees to Paris where, on the eve of World War I, a bizarre twist of...  more

Noelle Tremaston's charmed yet unconventional life as the daughter of the infamous Desiree, darling of the London stage, comes crashing to a halt when her mother takes in a struggling ingenue and disaster strikes. Noelle flees to Paris where, on the eve of World War I, a bizarre twist of fate will lead her into unsolved mysteries -- and the arms of love.

"A mesmerizing story of blackmail, romance, and deception."ASSOCIATED PRESSDrusilla Delaney, the daughter of an impoverished minister, becomes fascinated with the wealthy Framling family--especially with the son and daughter, the mysterious Fabian, and the beautiful, impetuous Lavinia. Through...  more

"A mesmerizing story of blackmail, romance, and deception."ASSOCIATED PRESSDrusilla Delaney, the daughter of an impoverished minister, becomes fascinated with the wealthy Framling family--especially with the son and daughter, the mysterious Fabian, and the beautiful, impetuous Lavinia. Through them, she finds herself the unlikely heir to an extraordinary bejeweled fan made of peacock feathers. But though priceless and dazzling to behold, the fan bears a curse that promises ill fortune--and even death--to whoever possesses it...."Enthralling."THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

When Sarah Ashington's actress mother dies after a devastating scandal, Sarah is left at her long-lost father's rambling, ancestral estate to face the disturbing questions of her own past. Then her father's death draws her to his Ceylon plantation -- and into the shadows of a legend from which...  more

When Sarah Ashington's actress mother dies after a devastating scandal, Sarah is left at her long-lost father's rambling, ancestral estate to face the disturbing questions of her own past. Then her father's death draws her to his Ceylon plantation -- and into the shadows of a legend from which their may be no return . . .

Tragedy brought young Frederica to the idyllic hamlet of Harper's Green. But as she grew from child to woman, she became powerless against her love for the enigmatic Crispin Tamarisk, and drawn more closely to his family's secrets and curses that seemed directed to her.... A Main...  more

Tragedy brought young Frederica to the idyllic hamlet of Harper's Green. But as she grew from child to woman, she became powerless against her love for the enigmatic Crispin Tamarisk, and drawn more closely to his family's secrets and curses that seemed directed to her.... A Main Selection of the Literary Guild and the Doubleday Book Club

Seduced by the power of the strange man called Lynx, Nora soon finds herself very much in love with him. And with his son . . .

In 1887, in the excitement of Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee, 14-year-old Caroline Tressidor blurts out a secret.  Thought it is a secret she does not understand, her punishment is swift:  her beautiful mother disappears; her father banishes Caroline to a family estate in...  more

In 1887, in the excitement of Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee, 14-year-old Caroline Tressidor blurts out a secret.  Thought it is a secret she does not understand, her punishment is swift:  her beautiful mother disappears; her father banishes Caroline to a family estate in Cornwall.  There, puzzled and lonely, she begins a search for understanding that takes her back to London and to heartbreak; sends her to the South of France and a romantic reunion with the man she has learned to love and fear; returns her to Cornwall, to tragedy and a desperate murdered, and ends ten years after its beginnings as she watches the plain little Queen celebrate her Diamond Jubilee.

Abandoned as a baby, her exotic beauty prompted hushed whispers of gypsy blood. But lovely Carmel March remained shrouded in mystery... When tragedy struck her adopted home of Commonwood House, little Carmel had been bundled off to Australia. Returning to England as a young woman, she became...  more

Abandoned as a baby, her exotic beauty prompted hushed whispers of gypsy blood. But lovely Carmel March remained shrouded in mystery... When tragedy struck her adopted home of Commonwood House, little Carmel had been bundled off to Australia. Returning to England as a young woman, she became haunted by questions from her past, as well as the shocking revelation that she had been rushed from a murder scene those many years ago. Yet she was convinced that the wrong man had been sentenced for the crime. Was the answer locked away in her childhood memory -- or in the dark, secretive behavior of her old childhood friend, Lucian? And what fateful role did the opals -- always present at crucial moments of her life -- play? For only when she released the dark secrets imprisoned at Commonwood would she find the freedom to love... ---- Victoria Holt was a pen-name of Eleanor Alice Burford Hibbert, who also published as Phillipa Carr, Jean Plaidy, and others.

Amidst the lush romance of Victorian London, Florence, and Paris, a deadly family rivalry is born... As long as she can remember, the exquisite Lenore Cleremont has lived at The Silk House, the luxurious English country estate of the wealthy Sallonger family.  Neither servant nor true...  more

Amidst the lush romance of Victorian London, Florence, and Paris, a deadly family rivalry is born... As long as she can remember, the exquisite Lenore Cleremont has lived at The Silk House, the luxurious English country estate of the wealthy Sallonger family.  Neither servant nor true member of the family, she has grown up under the protection of her Grand'mere -- who designs the luxurious gowns for the family's vast silk trade in the mansion's attic rooms.  Lenore shows promise as a dress designer herself.  But most important, she has won the heart of the two charismatic Sallonger sons:  Charles, handsome but cruel, and Philip, as kind-hearted as he is charming.  But tragedy is ready to strike.  Soon Lenore finds herself playing a central role in a drama that threatens to destroy everything she holds dear....

According to ancient Black Forest legend, on the Night of the Seventh Moon, Loke, the God of Mischief, is at large in the world. It is a night for festivity and joyful celebration. It is a night for singing and dancing. And it is a night for love. Helena Trant was enchanted by everything she...  more

According to ancient Black Forest legend, on the Night of the Seventh Moon, Loke, the God of Mischief, is at large in the world. It is a night for festivity and joyful celebration. It is a night for singing and dancing. And it is a night for love. Helena Trant was enchanted by everything she found in the Black Forest -- especially its legends. But then, on the Night of the Seventh Moon, she started to live one of them, and the enchantment turned suddenly into a terrifying nightmare... Victoria Holt was a pen-name of Eleanor Alice Burford Hibbert, who also published under Philippa Carr, Jean Plaidy, and other pen-names.